Fogg on target for third consecutive 1500m freestyle title

Dan Fogg remains on track to make it a hat-trick of British titles after he qualified fastest in the 1500m freestyle heats on day five of the 2014 British Gas Swimming Championships in Glasgow.

Fogg, who finished eighth on his Olympic debut in London 2012 and has taken the British title the two previous years, finished almost three seconds faster than his nearest challengers in the day’s morning session, clocking a time of 15:19.58minutes to ease through to the final.

It leaves him in a strong position of adding to his 400m freestyle bronze medal in Glasgow with Nick Grainger, winner of silver in that event, qualifying second fastest in 15:22.49.

Elsewhere Lauren Quigley and Georgia Davies head into the 50m backstroke semi-finals separated by just 0.01 seconds after the former got the edge over her rival clocking a time of 28.34.

Davies had beaten Quigley to the 100m backstroke title on day three in Glasgow but she was nudged out in the heats with a time of 28.35 while Francesca Halsall qualified third fastest.

Ben Proud, silver medallist in the 50m freestyle last year, also got the edge over defending champion Adam Brown in the morning heats, clocking 22.67 while his rival managed 22.74 with both progressing to the semis.

Another to lead the way was Charlie Boldison who broke the two-minute mark for the first time in the 200m backstroke posting 1:58.88 to set him up strongly for the final with Joe Patching and Xavier Mohammed second and third fastest.

And Georgia Barton set a new personal best of 2:11.14 to qualify fastest from the 200m butterfly heats ahead of Hannah Miley, Elena Sheridan and 100m butterfly champion Rachael Kelly.